New Year's
Yesterday started out with calling up K and singing her Happy Birthday in Spanish. A little bit later, I picked up both K & G, and went over to Costco for a wee bit of retail therapy. NOT. The parking lot was crazy - so we drove in and then just drove right out again. K & I ended up at Safeway (which was also a madhouse) and picked up the few things left on our lists for New Year's.
As this was K's birthday, we fulfilled two of her wishes - cleaning ut the fridge (yes, there were alien beings hiding in the back) and then we dismantled Harry, the Christmas tree. The things that make K happy =)
She & I drove over to Union City to see King's Speech. We both really enjoyed it. (of course, once I got home, I had to goggle all about it). Birthday dinner at Texas Roadhouse - she was craving prime rib. Everything was tasty, so she was a happy camper.
Rang in the New Year while making the traditional Oshogatsu food. Soaked 10 cups of mochi rice in preparation for making mochi in the morning when the kids got home from S's. Finished up around 4am =)
Got a phone call around 8:30 from G that the kidlets were home and couldn't wait to make mochi. ergh... Packed up all the New Year's stuff and schlepped everything over to K and G's. Mochi was soon cooking. Put out the Oshogatsu food (lotus root, bamboo shoots, konbu, carrots, strings beans, shiitake mushrooms, itakonnyaku, kamaboko, black beans, and gobo). K made chicken teriyaki and sliced up the hamachi and maguro. Kyle grated daikon.
Beep! Rice done. Push button for "pound". 10 minutes later and we've got a very hot blob of mochi. Table has been prepped with mochi flour. Dump the blob onto the flour and K starts pinching off small blobs of dough. The rest of us grab a blob and roll it into a smooth, roundish rice cake (some more smooth, than others...)
Mochi 2011
Kyle and Alani making mochi cakes.
Ozoni and stuff for lunch. Yum =) Need nap now.
As this was K's birthday, we fulfilled two of her wishes - cleaning ut the fridge (yes, there were alien beings hiding in the back) and then we dismantled Harry, the Christmas tree. The things that make K happy =)
She & I drove over to Union City to see King's Speech. We both really enjoyed it. (of course, once I got home, I had to goggle all about it). Birthday dinner at Texas Roadhouse - she was craving prime rib. Everything was tasty, so she was a happy camper.
Rang in the New Year while making the traditional Oshogatsu food. Soaked 10 cups of mochi rice in preparation for making mochi in the morning when the kids got home from S's. Finished up around 4am =)
Got a phone call around 8:30 from G that the kidlets were home and couldn't wait to make mochi. ergh... Packed up all the New Year's stuff and schlepped everything over to K and G's. Mochi was soon cooking. Put out the Oshogatsu food (lotus root, bamboo shoots, konbu, carrots, strings beans, shiitake mushrooms, itakonnyaku, kamaboko, black beans, and gobo). K made chicken teriyaki and sliced up the hamachi and maguro. Kyle grated daikon.
Beep! Rice done. Push button for "pound". 10 minutes later and we've got a very hot blob of mochi. Table has been prepped with mochi flour. Dump the blob onto the flour and K starts pinching off small blobs of dough. The rest of us grab a blob and roll it into a smooth, roundish rice cake (some more smooth, than others...)
Mochi 2011
Kyle and Alani making mochi cakes.
Ozoni and stuff for lunch. Yum =) Need nap now.